Reconnecting America Program Associate Bill Sadler has been named to the 2012 Next American Vanguard Class. Sadler is one of 43 people selected from nearly 200 applications by Next American City for this year’s class. According to the announcement at Americancity.org, Next American Vanguard Class members were chosen for their bright ideas for cities, experience in the field and ambition for the future.

Reconnecting America President & CEO John Robert Smith was in Mobile, AL, this week to address the Gulf Coast Passenger Rail Summit. At the summit Smith was interviewed by Ron Reams of NüzzApp, a Gulf Coast regional news website.

In response to the Senate's inclusion of local funding control language in its transportation bill, Reconnecting America President and CEO John Robert Smith issued the following statement:

"In the Administration's recently released budget for Fiscal Year 2013, which calls for increased investment in our nation's communities and infrastructure, there is good news for all Americans, whether they live in urban or rural areas and whether they travel by automobile, bus or rail. In particular, President Obama continued the Administration's support for alternatives to highway transportation, such as increased funding for transit systems, and new investment into expanding inter-city and high-speed passenger rail. This affords all citizens choices in how they will travel and is at the heart of the work that Reconnecting America does, connecting people to the places that matter," said John Robert Smith, President and CEO of Reconnecting America. "In addition, the Administration's proposed funding for the Sustainable Communities Partnership would allow even more places around the country to benefit from that highly successful initiative. For our country to remain competitive…

Reconnecting America President and CEO John Robert Smith today announced the appointment of Kim Burnett to the organization's Board of Directors.

Reconnecting America President and CEO John Robert Smith issued the following response to President Obama's State of the Union address January 24:

Photo by John Robert Smith Earlier this week, Reconnecting America's President and CEO John Robert Smith, who also serves as Co-Chairman of Transportation for America, and James Corless, the Director of Transportation for America, were invited to the White House to participate in a discussion with the executive committee of Transportation for America and White House staff. Accompanying them were Transportation for America partners Arnold Weinfeld, Director of Strategic Initiatives and Federal Affairs for the Michigan Municipal League and Scott Wolf, Executive Director, Grow Smart Rhode Island. The conference call discussion focused on the jobs bill and, in particular, the transportation infrastructure element. During the visit, Smith was interviewed by the White House film crew along with several others about the transportation bill. (Video is embedded below.) Later, Smith, Corless and the Transportation for America partners joined other groups in the East Room, where they heard…

The Center for Transit-Oriented Development today announced the appointment of Abigail Thorne-Lyman to be the director of the Center for Transit-Oriented Development, replacing Sam Zimbabwe.